Desert Island Discs: Archive 1996-2000

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. His musicals dominate London's West End, including Cats, Phantom of the Opera and Starlight Express. He traces a career which began more than 30 years ago when he teamed up with Tim Rice to write Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Some Enchanted Evening by Rossano Brazzi Book: England's Thousand Best Churches by Simon Jenkins Luxury: Herb garden

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Michael Crawford. Renowned for his attention to detail, he has always performed his own stunts - whether roller-skating under moving lorries in Some Mothers Do Have 'Em, or walking the tightrope in the musical Barnum. A consumate professional, he admits to escaping from his hospital bed, where he was recovering from exhaustion, so the show could go on! [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Gloria from Mass in B Minor by Johann Sebastian Bach Book: The complete book of self-sufficiency by John Seymour Luxury: Pen and paper

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Michael Nyman. Said to be the best-selling classical composer in Britain, as a child visiting the opera or concert hall his imagination would be caught by a particularly pleasing sequence of notes. Later, he was to use these as inspiration for his own compositions. A Purcell manuscript inspired his music for the The Draughtsman's Contract. Scottish folk songs the soundtrack to The Piano. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Farewell (Das Lied von der Erde (the song of the Earth)) by Gustav Mahler Book: Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne Luxury: A toilet

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Oz Clarke. As a wine expert, he has sipped, slurped and spat his way through thousands of vintages from around the world. Renowned for his enthusiasm for trying new flavours and varieties, his earliest memory is of drinking his mother's damson wine when he was just three years old. And it didn't put him off. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Thanks for the Memory by The Mitford Girls Original London Stage Cast Book: French Provincial Cookery by Elizabeth David Luxury: His memory

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Sir Richard Sykes. The chairman of Glaxo Welcome, as a boy he was not a natural scholar, until he went to work at the pathology laboratory of his local hospital. Understanding the application of science led him to become a research scientist at Glaxo Welcome. He describes how later the Board Room lured him away from the lab, and how he came to mastermind one of the most audacious take-overs in the city. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Second Movement from Cello Concerto in B Minor by Antonin Dvořák Book: The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin Luxury: Telescope

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Warren Mitchell. Arthur Miller praised his portrayal of Willie Loman in Death of a Salesman. His King Lear and Shylock won critical acclaim. But he will always be remembered for Alf Garnett, the bigoted, bully from Till Death Us Do Part. He chooses eight records to take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Marie Theres I Made A Vow from Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss Book: Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brien Luxury: Organ (from the Royal Albert Hall)

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Clarissa Dickson Wright. Born into a home where caviar was more common than fish paste, she has always been surrounded by fine food. Yet she came to cooking as a profession late in life, having first practised as a barrister. Finding success on television, she has recently had to come to terms with the death of her co host Jennifer Paterson and being just One Fat Lady. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Rasputin by Boney M Book: Complete Works by Saki Luxury: Wind-up radio

This week the castaway on Desert Island Discs is William Gibson. Long before the existence of the Internet, he wrote about 'cyberspace', a boundless world reached only through computers. External space travel, to the Moon and Mars, had become old hat. By creating internal space, he breathed new life into science fiction. In conversation with Sue Lawley, he talks about his life and work and chooses eight records to take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: (Are You) The One That I've Been Waiting For? by Nick Cave Book: Complete Works by Jorge Luis Borges Luxury: Junk yard

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Willard White. Teased as a child for his deep bass voice, it has made him one of the most popular opera stars today. Happy to sing Wagner or Gershwin, he's renowned for his ability to get under the skin of his roles, and audiences still remember how, as Porgy, he wept real tears at the loss of Bess. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Piano Concerto No 21 in C Major- Andante by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale Luxury: Seeds

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Ralph Fiennes. His first Hollywood film role was as the Nazi concentration camp leader in Schindler's List, a part which, he says, had a profoundly disturbing effect on him. His latest project, playing the jaded hero Onegin, is the culmination of a long held desire to bring Pushkin's novel to the big screen. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Mir Ist So Wunderbar by Ludwig van Beethoven Book: A la Recherche du Temps Perdu by Marcel Proust Luxury: Pen and limited supplies of ink and paper

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Rolf Harris. He's the presenter of one of the most popular television programmes, Animal Hospital, but he's an artist and a musician too. He shot to the top of the charts on many occasions with musical hits as varied as Tie Me Kangaroo Down and Stairway to Heaven. Both of which featured his own unique invention, the wobble board. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Gendarmes Quartet by Rolf Harris Book: The Magic Pudding by Norman Lindsay Luxury: Chisel for sculpting

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the poet Rita Dove. The first African-American to become the US Poet Laureate, Rita Dove was brought up to believe that education was the key to the Great American Dream. As a child she would lose herself in the local library, but she learned the art of story-telling from her aunts as they swapped tales about the Great Depression, civil rights, and, of course, motherhood. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Koln Concert by Keith Jarrett Book: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez Luxury: Ballroom and robotic dance instructor

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the conductor Sir Roger Norrington. Known for conducting music at a cracking pace, he argues that it's the way the great composers would have played it. Music should be fun, he says, it should entertain - and never, ever, be pompous. He chooses eight records to take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Brandenburg Concerto No.6 by Johann Sebastian Bach Book: Complete Works by Thomas Hardy Luxury: Chocolate

This week the castaway on Desert Island Discs is Patricia Routledge. Once voted the nation's favourite actress for her television roles as Hyacinth Bucket and Hetty Wainthrop, she has also been successful in the theatre, in musicals, and of course in Alan Bennett's monologues Talking Heads. In conversation with Sue Lawley, she talks about her life and work and chooses eight records to take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: String Quintet in C Major - Adagio by Franz Schubert Book: The collected works by John Donne Luxury: Tea service with tea

The castaway on this week's Desert Island Discs is Rick Stein. When the police closed his discotheque down because of too many fights on a Saturday night, all he had left was his restaurant licence. Living by the sea, he took the obvious option and opened a fish restaurant. Today he is Britain's best sea food chef and a passionate advocate for the pleasures of cooking and eating fish. In conversation with Sue Lawley, he talks about his life and work and chooses eight records to take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Concerto for Flute, Harp & Orchestra in C Major by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy Luxury: Thai fish sauce

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Rod Steiger. He talks about The Method, Marlon Brando and the depression which dogged him for nearly a decade. And he confesses why he couldn't go to the desert island without Frank Sinatra. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Send in the Clowns by Sarah Vaughn Book: Complete book of poetry by e e cummings Luxury: Self-contained external electric fan

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Martin Pipe. He has turned horse training into a science. His animals have the choice of a swimming pool, indoor canter and walking machine, while the on-site laboratory monitors their temperature, blood and weight throughout the day. Yet he retains his love for the horses themselves - a passion which has made him one of the most successful trainers in Britain. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Oh Carol by Neil Sedaka Book: Horse Management by R S Timmis Luxury: Winning post from Cheltenham race course

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Paddy Moloney. As the founder of the Chieftains he has taken Irish folk music around the world. No purist, some of his most popular pieces are influenced by other countries folk songs, most notably China, Spain and South America. He's collaborated with popular musicians too, sharing a stage with Mick Jagger, Elvis Costello and The Corrs. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Coast of Malabar by The Chieftains with Ry Cooder Book: The Book of Lempster (old Irish textbook currently in the Hague) Luxury: Tin whistle

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Profesor Igor Aleksander. He has been researching artificial conciousness for over 30 years. His first machine, Wisard, could recognise faces. His latest, Magnus, can think. He predicts that soon our computors will be so intelligent we won't be able to switch them off at the end of the day without feeling guilty. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Agnus Dei from Requiem by Giuseppe Verdi Book: Companions to the Mind by Richard Gregory Luxury: A virtual reality London Symphony Orchestra so he can conduct it

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the Shadow Home Secretary Ann Widdecombe. Since the last election she has used her free time to write a novel, but has no plans to become a full time author since politics remains her passion. Some two years after she spiked Michael Howard's bid to become leader of the Conservative Party, she is herself being talked about as a possible Tory Leader. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: How Great Thou Are by Aled Jones Book: Collected Poems by Thomas Gray Luxury: (Hot) shower

Sue Lawley's guest this week is James Dyson. Today he's one of the richest men in Britain, but he began with an idea, a piece of cardboard and some sticky-backed plastic. Five years and more than 5,000 prototypes later, he was confident that he had invented a new type of vacuum cleaner. But that was to prove only the beginning of a long, drawn-out battle to get it licensed. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Slowdown by Wax On Wax Off Book: Olives: The Life and Love of a Noble Fruit by Mort Rosenslum Luxury: Olive Oil

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the film composer John Barry. The Pope is said to adore his soundtrack to Dances with Wolves. Although he's probably best known for the theme tunes he wrote for the Bond movies; including Goldfinger and Diamonds are Forever. In all, he's won five Oscars - not bad for a Yorkshire lad who happened to hit London just as it began to swing. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Symphony No.9 - Adagio by Gustav Mahler Book: Eternal Echoes by John O'Donohue Luxury: Grand piano

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Chris Bonington. In a climbing career spanning 48 years he has stood astride British mountaineering 'like a hairy colossus', climbing and leading expeditions as well as photographing and writing about them. Along the way he has seen many friends perish on the mountains and more than once narrowly escaped death himself. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Once I Had A Sweetheart by Joan Baez Book: History of the English-Speaking Peoples by Sir Winston Churchill Luxury: Power Book G3 (laptop computer)

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the journalist Anthony Howard. He's worked on The New Statesman, The Observer and The Sunday Times, where as Obituaries Editor, he turned a previously dead-end job into a highly competitive art form. A regular television commentator, he probably inherited his gift for oratory from his father, a parson who gave stirring sermons. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: The Toasting Song (from La Traviata - Act One) by Giuseppe Verdi Book: Dictionary of National Biography Luxury: Camp bed

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the artistic director of the Rambert Dance Company Christopher Bruce. As a child he was sent to dance lessons to strengthen his legs after polio had left them severely weakened. Ten years later he was the star of Ballet Rambert. Not content with being dubbed 'the Nureyev of contemporary dance' he went on to become one of the great choreographers, working all over the world before returning to the company as Director in 1994. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Piano Concerto No.2 by Sergei Rachmaninov Book: Teach yourself French Luxury: Suncream

This week the castaway on Desert Island Discs is Michael Green. As Chairman of Carlton Communications he is one of the most powerful men in British television and the driving force behind digital TV. In conversation with Sue Lawley, he talks about his life and work and chooses eight records to take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Jersualem by Vangelis Book: The Complete Works by Sigmund Freud Luxury: Digital TV

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Richard Dreyfuss. He was already the youngest actor ever to win an Oscar when he starred in the phenomenally successful Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Too many drugs and too much drink threatened his career until in 1982 he had a terrible car smash which brought him to his senses. Today, with a dozen more hit films under his belt he's fulfilling a lifelong ambition to appear on the London stage. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: 4th Movement of the Thunderstorm by Ludwig van Beethoven Book: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens Luxury: Books delivered to the island on a regular basis

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Helen Bamber. In 1945, at the age of 20, she travelled to Belsen with the Jewish Relief agency. There she learnt how important it is to listen to those who have suffered. It was a lesson she continued to practice in her work with Amnesty International, and later with the Medical Foundation for the Victims of Torture which she set up in 1985. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Song of the Birds by Cant Del Ocells Book: Poet for Poet by Richard McCain Luxury: Radio to listen to the World Service

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the jazz musician Stan Tracey. He's been at the heart of the British Jazz scene since the 1960s when he was resident pianist at Ronnie Scotts. It was at that time he wrote what has been called the greatest of all British jazz albums - his Under Milk Wood suite. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Mood Indigo by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra Book: Crazy Like A Fox by S J Perelman Luxury: Film: Oh Mister Porter

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the film director Ken Loach. Probably best known for his film Kes, his recent film, My Name Is Joe has just won the award for best actor at Cannes. He learnt his craft in television in the 1960s, quickly attracting attention with Up the Junction and Cathy Come Home, which prompted the setting up of the homeless charity Shelter. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Opening of the 4th Movement by Ludwig van Beethoven Book: Golden Treasury of English Songs and Lyrics by Francis Palgrave Luxury: Radio (for football results)

This week the castaway on Desert Island Discs is the flamenco guitarist Paco Peña. Celebrated thoughout the world for his authentic performances, he was born into a poor family in Southern Spain where music, singing and dancing was part of everyday life. Today, he is regarded as one of the world's foremost traditional Flamenco players. In conversation with Sue Lawley, he talks about his life and work and chooses eight records to take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Portro de Rabia y Miel by Camaron de la Isla Book: An Anthology of Poetry - 'Las Mil Mejores Poesia' Dela Lengua Castellana by Jose Bergua Luxury: Virtual reality module

"Sue Lawley's guest this week is the jockey Richard Dunwoody. He's been champion jockey three times and has won the Grand National twice. Now he's hot on the heels of Peter Scudamore's record for the most wins ever. He chooses eight records to take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Clare Island by The Saw Doctors Book: The Lord of the Rings by J R R Tolkien Luxury: An endless supply of ice-cream

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the actress Luise Rainer who recently appeared in the film The Gambler. In 1936 she won the first of two Oscars for her telephone scene in the film The Great Zeigfeld. Despite her success, she felt uncomfortable in Hollywood and made her friends among the European expatriate community, including Schoenburg, Einstein and Thomas Mann. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: The Creation by Franz Joseph Haydn Book: The Proper Study of Mankind by Isaiah Berlin Luxury: To be missed by the people she loves

Sue Lawley's castaway is Northern Ireland secretary Mo Mowlam. Favourite track: Chicago by Frank Sinatra Book: The collected works by Seamus Heaney Luxury: A globe

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the award-winning restaurant critic Fay Maschler. Twenty-seven years after she won a competition to write a column for the Evening Standard, she is still eating out three times a week, comparing caramel crackling and moue of mousse, on our behalf. She chooses eight records to take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Goldberg Variations Nos. 1 and 2 by Johann Sebastian Bach Book: Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons Luxury: A huge supply of ouzo

Sue Lawley's castaway is scriptwriter & Comic Relief founder Richard Curtis. Favourite track: And I Love Her by The Beatles Book: Guinness Book of Pop Luxury: Pizza Express in Notting Hill

This week the castaway on Desert Island Discs is the opera singer Maria Ewing. Renowned for her acting ability as much as her voice - she portrayed Carmen as witty, clever and very very dangerous. Her Sheherazade was sexy. While as Salome she brought the audience to the edge of their seats as the last of the seven veils revealed her naked beneath. In conversation with Sue Lawley, she talks about her life and work and chooses eight records to take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Opening of Prelude a L'apres-midi d'un Faune by Claude Debussy Book: Collected Poems by John Donne Luxury: Piano

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the Romanian poet Nina Cassian. She was forbidden to return home, after a visit to New York, because of her outspoken critisism the Ceaucescu regime. The loneliness of the unwilling exile is often reflected in her work, but so is love, passion and her wicked sense of humour. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Ach Golgatha by Johann Sebastian Bach Book: Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne Luxury: Cigarettes and whisky

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the pianist Andras Schiff. Born in Hungary, Bartok was the first composer he fell in love with and his music is still a regular part of his repertoire; despite making his fingers bleed. He compares learning a new composition to maturing wine - you can taste it almost immediately but it takes many years to become a vintage performance. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: String Quintet in C - Second Movement by Franz Schubert Book: Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri Luxury: Piano

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the American travel writer Bill Bryson. His inspiration was his father; a great traveller who never quite made it to his intended destination. His best-selling books, Notes from a Small Island and The Lost Continent, chronicle his experiences of facing up to fearsome British landladies and American motels which make the Bates hotel in Psycho look inviting. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: (Sittin' On) The Dock of The Bay by Otis Redding Book: The Lost Continent by Bill Bryson Luxury: Basket ball and hoop, and a little hard standing

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the writer Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. Born in Germany, she came to England as a refugee and moved to India as a young bride where she wrote her first film screenplay in 1961 - in eight days. Since then, she has written over 30 screenplays, all bar one in collaboration with the Merchant-Ivory partnership, including Heat and Dust, A Room with a View and The Remains of the Day. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Sanctus from B Minor Mass by Johann Sebastian Bach Book: The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky Luxury: A chaise longue by a window

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the wildlife artist David Shepherd. Rejected from the Slade Art School on the grounds of having 'no talent whatsoever' he was taught to paint by a man he met at a cocktail party who told him "you're going to be painting for the Inland Revenue, the Gas Board and the school fees." Famed now for his paintings of elephants, he is one of the best-selling artists in the world. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Symphony No. 8 by Gustav Mahler Book: Collection by Beatrix Potter Luxury: Wind-up video player